Nelson Branco's Soap Opera Uncensored: Issue 41
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was had no clue what was in store for her. In other news, she was shocked to learn the sky is blue.
In a statement posted last night her Facebook page, a stunned Bell shared her feelings:
So it was announced today I am leaving Y and R... the show I have loved so much for so long. It is the legacy of my father in law... my mother in law... and all the Bells. The show has been my heart and soul. I loved working with the most talented writers in TV who were also the most wonderful human beings I know. They became a second family and my best friends. I loved the cast and crew. I am extremely sad to go because there are more stories I could have told. So much more I wanted to do. My ratings are strong... each week stronger than last year. The show is in a great place creatively. We are number one by the greatest margin in the show's history and have been consistently while I've been there. Under no one else's tenure as head writer exec producer have we won every demographic for so long. I am just shy of five years at the helm. It has been an amazing ride. So why am I leaving? I am mystified as are my cast and crew.
There have been a lot of tears shed in the last few days... by me and by my loyal staff and by our iconic actors. I was not given a reason and in fact I have heard nothing from Sony or CBS. They sent me a message through my husband Bill who had the terrible job of conveying that they'd gone around him and were letting me go. I fought hard for my vision and to keep the show on track with the characters that matter to the audience. Maybe I fought too hard. But I am glad I did. I never compromised on what I believed in. I never dumbed down the storytelling. I walked in the door at Y and R in 1988... as a young writer getting her first job. Today I leave there knowing it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I love you Y and R. Your story was my life story too. And to Victor... Nikki... Jack... and Kay... I will miss you."
She later posted:
When I said my farewell today to the company of [Y&R] I stood between Eric Braeden [Victor], Peter Bergman [Jack], Melody Thomas Scott [Nikki] and addressed everyone. Then, spontaneously, each of them said something that was profoundly moving to me about how much they appreciated me, my work, my storytelling, my vision. The moment that will stay with me for the rest of my life was looking out at a sea of faces, many of them in tears. And then Eric Braeden who was choking back tears himself to the point he could barely speak said that my leaving was a travesty that made no sense and that "This is the end of an era." In that moment I could feel my heart break a little... but I also felt that the commitment I had to that show... the seven day a week fifty two week a year craziness of it all was worth it... because I was part of the history of something truly great."
Remind me never to be in a life-and-death situation with Maria.
Several cast members from B&B attended the “impromptu assembly,” along with her husband, Billy Bell Jr. Peter Bergman said that she was welcome back any time on set and that she would still be in their lives.
Maria called Y&R “my third child,” and vowed to return to her office after the gathering to continue writing the day’s episode.
“Well, better late then never,” quipped one actor. “Now she decides to work? She really has no idea why she’s been let go.”
While the events of the goodbye party, which lasted about 20 to 30 minutes, are accurate, according to witnesses, the context is off.
When Eric Braeden said, “it was the end of an era,” he was referring to himself because he knows he’s screwed. “It was another God Bless Eric Braeden moment,” says a witness. “He was crying and it took him minutes to get anything out. Hello: Maria helmed Y&R for five years. Five years does not an era make."
With Braeden reportedly in contract negotiations with Sony — they’re asking him to take a pay and guarantee cut, which he is expected to accept — he knows he won’t have Maria to back him up or write him silly storylines about Victor falling in love his daughter-in-law.
The crew was visibly upset because “we’re scared for our jobs… not because Maria is out,” clarified a longtime crew member.
Have you noticed that no one from the current cast has tweeted their support of Maria like all the GH actors did when JFP left the building?
As many of us know, the Bells can trump Sony or CBS individually but they can’t win against both entities, which collectively ganged up on Bell.
It was karma. FYI: After decades of Bill Bell’s singular vision, CBS took control of the series in 2006 when Barbara Bloom brought in her pal, Lynn Marie Latham, to show-run, but then, thanks to the writers’ strike, the Bells pulled a coup of their own and regained control of the show.
As for the backstage upheaval, former co-executive producer Paul Rauch tells me, “it’s interesting, isn’t it?”
“Billy’s on the warpath and is seeing revenge,” says another insider. “But there’s nothing he can do. Jill and Josh are employees of Sony because of HOLLYWOOD HEIGHTS — they basically just got a promotion — so for the first time Sony is calling the shots with CBS as an ally.”
Bill Bell Jr. should be mad at his wife for destroying his father’s legacy. Sadly, Maria had been going around telling people she was even more talented than her father-in-law, Bill Bell. “Too bad no one remembers that Bill actually fired Maria when she was a writer for Y&R,” reminds a friend of Maria’s. “Her dog died and she refused to come in and Bill fired her on the spot. Yet, after winning the Emmy last year, she’d go around telling people she waited 25 years to win this award! Yet she treated Y&R like a pastime not a job. The show had to fit into her schedule, not the other way around. And that’s no way to run a show. She had nothing in common with Bill: For Bill, Y&R came first; his life second. I think he’s stopped rolling in his grave now.”
Last week, Jeanne Cooper had this to say when I asked what her good friend and boss, Bill Bell, would think of MAB’s Y&R: “Let’s just put it this way, he’s the one changing the climate of the world right now with all these tornadoes and storms! Yes, Bill Bell has contacted us through the weather recently,” she laughed. “That’s how powerful Bill was when he was here, and that’s how powerful he is wherever he is now! [Laughs] He’s pissing all over New York these days [which has been suffering harsh weather conditions recently]! He’s probably like, “What show am I watching?! Canada has been one of our most faithful watchers, so when you guys become confused and frustrated over the creative state of the show, then I know we have a problem! I think everyone in Canada is confused about Y&R these days. Because Canadians are so honest, a vast majority of loyal viewers write in and they don’t hold back. Canadians will write, “What the hell are you doing?!” [Laughs] See, Bill Bell paid attention to the viewers.”
In the end, Cooper believes Maria’s stubbornness was her undoing because even Bill Bell listened to his audience. “It didn’t necessarily change his mind,” she says. “But it may have changed the way he presented the story he wanted to tell, you see? In the meantime, he was always aware of the audience.”
With Sony firmly in charge with Y&R’s showrunners on its payroll, along with performing major reconstructive surgery on the Sharon character, the first order of business is a major cast bloodbath, which my moles say will happen sooner rather than later. Who can you expect on the cutting room floor? With some insider information, here are my predictions. Remember JFP, Griffith’s strategy is still being built but the below is list is a good start:
While things may change, UCNENSORED has it on high authority that these actors mentioned below should start looking for work elsewhere stat. FYI: Griffith begins work in two weeks at Y&R. Of course, this is mostly speculation but here goes:
Actors expected to be given their walking papers include Genie Francis, Stephen Nichols, Julia Pace Mitchell, Darnell Williams, and Debbi Morgan.
As we know from Josh Griffith’s first Y&R reign he got rid of every trace of Lynne Marie Latham with the exception of Daniel Goddard’s Cane so it’s a pretty safe bet that Friends of Maria will be out of Genoa City soon.
Also, JFP has a long,
tension-filled history with Francis and Nichols, whom she both let go from GH. Let’s not forget that Maria fashioned Gen after herself so Francis will more than likely be the first to go.
As for Nichols, he could stick around considering Tucker is Kay’s son and Devon’s father but Sony may need him more on DAYS especially with Mary Beth Evans floundering about serving drinks at the Brady Pub. Add in the fact that Nichols’s Y&R leading lady Eileen Davidson has returned to Salem, then it could be sayonara, Stephen.
I’m very concerned about Jess Walton and Tristan Roger’s impending returns to Y&R, which are tentatively scheduled for fall. JFP was never a fan of Rogers on GH, so we’ll have to wait and see.
While Morgan is an Emmy-winning actress and has given Kristoff St. John a viable leading lady since Victoria Rowell left the series in shame, her character has been a bust so far; and Sony may want to rid Y&R of the AMC migration Maria set in motion this past year.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Rowell has left several messages for Griffith and JFP about resurrecting Drucilla